User Voice

User Voice was established in 2009 and received its charitable status in 2010.

Our role is to improve rehabilitation......through collaboration. At User Voice we know that the criminal justice system needs to be improved. We are optimistic that change is possible and we know that we have the experience and insight to contribute to making it better.

Rehabilitation is possible, and people with convictions can turn their lives into an active force for good in society. Rehabilitation is the goal of all our work, a process which goes deeper than reducing offending, although that is an outcome.

At User Voice we build the structures that enable productive collaboration between service users and service providers. We are able to do this because our work is led and delivered by ex-offenders. This gives us the special ability to gain the trust of, access to, and insight from people within the criminal justice system.

We believe that the fundamental issue that causes high rates of re-offending and all the other associated problems is .......the ‘us vs. them’ culture.

Society feels frustrated with those who re-offend repeating cycles of behaviour and not engaging with rehabilitation services. Yet people with convictions feel marginalised by society, with rehabilitation services which are often inaccessible and unhelpful and a system that doesn’t value their input. Whatever the truth, we won’t reduce crime unless we deal with this division. User Voice’s core belief is that rehabilitation only happens when everyone in the criminal justice system shares responsibility for transforming the ‘us vs. them’ division into real collaboration.

User Voice exists to reduce offending

Our work is led and delivered by ex-offenders who consistently foster dialogue between users and providers of services within the criminal justice system. We work to provide ways that enable unheard voices; to make a difference, to urge policy-makers and people with power who make decisions to listen.

User Voice = user led

The Team To be true to what we stand for and good at what we do, User Voice will always be majority staffed and led by people who have experienced the criminal justice system. From our executive board to every level of staffing, former service users serve an integral part of User Voice’s success, values, and culture. This guiding principle makes us a unique provider in the sector. Our work is underpinned by innovative methods of engagement and research that proves the effectiveness of our approach. All our staff that work directly with service users have a history of offending themselves. This is crucial in giving us the insight, credibility and access to do our job well.